HISTORY OF THE
LABYRINTH
The labyrinth has been featured in cultures
worldwide as a pattern of initiation and
transformation. It has been known to the
human race for over 4,000 years, conjuring up
such images as the legend of Theseus and the
Minotaur. It has been used in many different
religious ways by many peoples, such as
solar or lunar calendars. In Arizona and the
American Southwest the Hopi use a form of
the labyrinth in their religious symbolism. For
example, the Tohono O’odham “Man in the
Maze” is actually a “seven-circuit” labyrinth
and is part of an elaborate creation myth.
The labyrinth’s current popularity in the U.S.
started in the early 1990s but has exploded in
the last two years, with churches, hospitals,
even schools and prisons building them.
The oldest existing Christian labyrinth is
probably the one in the fourth-century basilica
of Reparatus, Orleansville, Algeria. And while
Christians used labyrinths on pre-Christian
sites and modeled their own after ones used by
earlier cultures, the development of the high
medieval Christian seven-circuit labyrinth
was a breakthrough in design. Its path of
seven circles was cruciform (shaped like
the Cross) and thus incorporated the central
Christian symbol. Use of these labyrinths
flourished in Europe throughout the eleventh
and twelfth centuries and beyond, especially
in the French cathedrals of Chartres, Sens,
WHAT IS A LABYRINTH?
Poitiers, Bayeaux, Amiens and Rheims and
in the Italian cathedrals at Lucca and San
Maria-di-Trastavera in Rome. Medieval
pilgrims, unable to fulfill their desire to make
a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, went instead to
many pilgrimage sites in Europe or Britain.
In many cases the end of their journey was
a labyrinth formed of stone and laid in the
floor of the nave of one of these great Gothic
cathedrals. The center of the labyrinths
probably represented for pilgrims the Holy
City itself and thus became the substitute goal
of the journey. We know from the Chartres
Cathedral that the labyrinth was used at the
Easter rites when the dean of the cathedral
would dance into the center together with the
congregation in a symbolic act of Christ’s
death and resurrection.
The labyrinth offers us a way of journeying,
inviting us into a sacred quiet place. It is a
place where we can experience profound
silence. It is a place where we can abandon
the busyness of life, to escape the fast
lane, to take a daily mini-vacation. It is a
place that offers us the opportunity to be
present to the Holy One and to our inner
selves. To walk the labyrinth is to make a
pilgrimage to discover something about
ourselves and God. The labyrinth is not
magic, but it is full of mystery. It produces
different results for everyone – or perhaps
none at all. To walk the labyrinth is to take
a precious “time out” – to be refreshed.
There is no dogma associated with the
labyrinth. A person simply brings his or
her personal thoughts, spiritual needs –
maybe a specific problem, or an important
life decision to be made.
There are some issues related to our
human condition and to our destiny that
require contemplation. Humans need
to set aside their usual tasks and take
the time to seriously reflect on these
issues. Such contemplation has at least
two prerequisites: it takes time, and it
requires some modicum of silence. The
labyrinth is a perfect vehicle to satisfy both
prerequisites. Moments of silent
contemplation allow the profound truths
of life to sink in.
The labyrinth is divided neatly into four
quarters around a cross, standing in the
medieval mind for the four gospels,
Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, and
also for the four stages of the Liturgy,
the Word, Offertory, Consecration, and
Communion. Walking the labyrinth
may also model the classical three-fold
spiritual path:
Purgation:
Walking in, emptying, or letting go.
Illumination:
Time in the center, clarity, insight.
Union:
Walking out, initiative, integration,
and action in the world.
The labyrinth is also a symbol of the
individuation process. Walking into the
center can help us deal with obstacles
that hinder our growth. In the center we
can dialogue with the Divine and receive
insight, freedom, joy. Walking out, we
become someone new and experience
energy as co-creators for making God
visible. Walking the labyrinth gives
us the opportunity to rid ourselves of
anger, it can soothe us, open our minds
to imagination and creativity. It slows
us down. It enables us to connect mind,
body and spirit.
SUGGESTIONS FOR
WALKING THE LABYRINTH
The labyrinth is a path for prayer and
meditation. Collect yourself before you
start. Sit and rest at one of the benches
for a while. Take off your shoes if
weather permits. Walking barefoot
on sacred ground is a rewarding
experience. Think of different people,
events, situations, places or things in
your life to develop a specific intention
as you walk. Get centered.
There are many ways of walking:
Two are The WAY OF SILENCE and
the WAY OF IMAGE. In choosing the
way of silence it might be helpful to
focus on breathing. The way of image
might be done by reciting a prayer
or a name for God over and over to
yourself. Ask yourself: How am I
loved? How do I love? In either way
or in some other manner best suited to
you, be open to your heart and mind.
Pay attention to your thoughts as they
rise and then let them go.
The labyrinth is a place of presence;
allow yourself to be present to yourself
and to God. The labyrinth is a teacher;
let it teach you through the mysterious
power of God. As you walk the path,
thoughts and ideas may rise up for you
and in you – often in refreshing and
startling ways.
One way to feel more connected to the
experience is, again, to walk barefoot
and slowly. There is no need to rush.
Some people feel a sense of confusion
as they first start; remember there is
only one path in and one path out.
You will not get lost. For some people
walking as quickly as possible to the
center, resting there, and then walking
quickly out is a powerful experience.
You set your own pace and pattern for
your journey.
Here are a few suggestions in ways of
walking the labyrinth:
Gracious Attention:
Let all thoughts go. Allow a sense
of attention to flow through you.
Ask a Question:
Focus on a question. Walk with a
listening heart.
Use Repetition:
Repeat a word, mantra, or phrase
over and over.
Offer petitions:
Bring to mind persons or issues for
which you wish to pray.
Honor a Benchmark:
A birthday, a life-style change, an
anniversary. A memorial can be the
focus of your walk.
Body Prayer:
Move spontaneously as your body
wishes. Dance the path. Move your
arms and legs, bend and sway.
ST. ANDREW’S INVITATION
EXPERIENCING THE
LABYRINTH
People have different experiences walking
the labyrinth. As with all practices of
prayer or meditation, your experience
will grow and deepen the more you do
it. Usually we don’t have time to reflect
on the spiritual part of ourselves during
our busy days, but when we slow down,
all of a sudden we notice that there are
other things in life to be concerned about.
We even begin to notice the beauty of the
world around us.
There is no “right” experience. Some
people feel a sense of peace, or find
old memories rising up as they walk.
Others find themselves thinking about
an immediate situation or person. One
person shares that he walks it with
his cancer, another with a deceased
grandmother, another with an anxiety
she is dealing with, another with the pain
of going through a divorce. Some walk
at varying speeds as different thoughts
and emotions come and go. Some people
experience physical sensations, perhaps
become light-headed, or have a feeling of
floating above, a feeling of weight, or of
great warmth. Some walk the labyrinth
with fear of the unexpected. Some people
have profound insights. Others have very
small experiences, or none at all.
The experience of walking the labyrinth
is different for each person, each time.
Whatever you experience, it is your
experience. Relax and see what happens.
People of all faiths are welcome to walk the
labyrinth at any time. Because our labyrinth
is lighted for night use, one may walk the
labyrinth until 10:30 p.m. each evening.
Please do not speak to people who are
walking the labyrinth; it is their sacred time
and space as they walk on sacred ground.
St. Andrew Catholic Community
1399 San Felipe Dr
Boulder City NV 89005-3202
The
Labyrinth
Walking the Way of Wisdom
A Path or Spiritual Growth
A Tool for Inner Work